CHAPTER 20
Ralph Meeteth a Man in the Wood
But the morning began to wear as he sat deep in these thoughts andstill the Carline came not to him; and he thought: "She leaveth mealone that I may do her bidding: so will I without tarrying." And hearose and did on his hauberk and basnet, and girt his sword to hisside, and went forth, a-foot as before. He crossed the river by a wideford and stepping stones somewhat below the pool wherein he had bathedon that first day; and already by then he had got so far, what with thefresh air of the beauteous morning, what with the cheerful tinkling ofhis sword and hauberk, he was somewhat amended of his trouble andheaviness of spirit. A little way across the river, but nigher to thewood, was a house or cot of that country-folk, and an old woman satspinning in the door. So Ralph went up thither, and greeted her, andcraved of her a draught of milk; so the goody turned about and criedout to one within, and there came forth one of the maidens whom Ralphhad met fishing that other day, and the old woman bade her bring forthmilk and bread. Then the carline looked hard at Ralph, and said: "Ah!I have heard tell of thee: thou art abiding the turn of the days up atthe castle yonder, as others have done before thee. Well, well, belikethou shalt have thy wish, though whether it shall be to thy profit, whoshall say?"
Thereat Ralph's heart fell again, and he said: "Sayest thou, mother,that there have been others abiding like me in the tower? I know notwhat thy words mean."
The carline laughed. "Well," said she, "here comes thy morning's baitborne by shapely hands enough; eat and drink first; and then will Itell thee my meaning."
Therewith came the maiden forth with the bowl and the loaf; and indeedshe was fair enough, and shy and kind; but Ralph heeded her little, norwas his heart moved by her at all. She set a stool for him beside thedoor and he sat down and ate and drank, though his heart was troubled;and the maiden hung about, and seemed to find it no easy matter to keepher eyes off him.
Presently the carline, who had been watching the two, said: "Thouaskest of the meaning of my words; well, deemest thou that I have hadmore men than one to love me?" "I know not, mother," said Ralph, whocould scarce hold himself patient. "There now!" quoth the carline,"look at my damsel! (she is not my daughter, but my brother's,) thereis a man, and a brisk lad too, whom she calleth her batchelor, and isas I verily deem well-pleased with him: yet lo you how she eyeth thee,thou fair man, and doth so with her raiment that thou mayst best seehow shapely she is of limb and foot, and toyeth her right hand with herleft wrist, and the like.--Well, as for me, I have had more lovers thanone or two. And why have I had just so many and no more? Nay, thouneedest not make any long answer to me. I am old now, and even beforeI was old I was not young: I am now foul of favour, and even before Ibecame foul, I was not so fair--well then?"
"Yea, what then?" said Ralph. "This then, fair young fool," said she:"the one whom thou lovest, long hath she lived, but she is not old tolook on, nor foul; but fair--O how fair!"
Then Ralph forgot his fear, and his heart grew greedy and his eyesglistened, and he said, yet he spoke faintly: "Yea, is she fair?""What! hast thou not seen her?" said the carline. Ralph called to mindthe guise in which he had seen her and flushed bright red, as heanswered: "Yea, I deem that I have: surely it was she." The carlinelaughed: "Well," said she; "however thou hast seen her, thou hastscarce seen her as I have." Said Ralph, "How was that?" Said she: "Itis her way here in the summer-tide to bathe her in yonder pool up thewater:" (and it was the same pool wherein Ralph had bathed) "And shehath me and my niece and two other women to hold up the silken clothbetwixt her body and the world; so that I have seen her as God madeher; and I shall tell thee that when he was about that work he wasminded to be a craftsmaster; for there is no blemish about her that sheshould hide her at all or anywhere. Her sides are sleek, and herthighs no rougher than her face, and her feet as dainty as her hands:yea, she is a pearl all over, withal she is as strong as a knight, andI warrant her hardier of heart than most knights. A happy man shaltthou be; for surely I deem thou hast not come hither to abide herwithout some token or warrant of her."
Ralph held down his head, and he could not meet the old woman's eyes asshe spake thus; and the maiden took herself out of earshot at the firstwords of the carline hereof, and was halfway down to the river by now.
Ralph spake after a while and said: "Tell me, is she good, and a goodwoman?" The dame laughed scornfully and said: "Surely, surely; she isthe saint of the Forest Land, and the guardian of all poor folk. Askthe carles else!"
Ralph held his peace, and rose to be gone and turning saw the damselwading the shallow ford, and looking over her shoulder at him. He gavethe dame good day, and departed light-foot but heavy hearted. Yet ashe went, he kept saying to himself: "Did she not send that Roger toturn my ways hither? yet she cometh not. Surely she hath changed inthese last days, or it may be in these last hours: yea, or this veryhour."
Amidst such thoughts he came into the wood, and made his way by thepaths and open places, going south and east of the House: whereas thelast day he had gone west and north. He went a soft pace, but wanderedon without any stay till it was noon, and he had seen nought but thewild things of the wood, nor many of them. But at last he heard thetinkle of a little bell coming towards him: so he stood still and gotthe hilt of his sword ready to his hand; and the tinkle drew nearer,and he heard withal the trample of some riding-beast; so he went towardthe sound, and presently in a clearer place of the wood came upon a manof religion, a clerk, riding on a hackney, to whose neck hung ahorse-bell: the priest had saddle bags beside him and carried in hisright hand a book in a bag. When he met Ralph he blessed him, andRalph gave him the sele of the day, and asked him whither he would.Said the Priest: "I am for the Little Plain and the Land of Abundance;whence art thou, my son, and whither wilt thou?" "From that very land Icome," said Ralph, "and as to whither, I seek adventures; but unless Isee more than I have this forenoon, or thou canst tell me of them, backwill I whence I came: yet to say sooth, I shall not be sorry for afellow to help me back, for these woodland ways are some-what blind."
Said the Priest: "I will bear thee company with a good will; and Iknow the road right well; for I am the Vicar appointed by the fathersof the Thorn to serve the church of the Little Plain, and the chapel ofSt. Anthony yonder in the wood, and to-day I go to the church of thegood folk there."
So Ralph turned, and went along with him, walking by his bridle-rein.And as they went the priest said to him: "Art thou one of my lady'slords?" Ralph reddened as he sighed, and said: "I am no captain ofhers." Then smiled the priest and said: "Then will I not ask thee ofthine errand; for belike thou wouldest not tell me thereof."
Ralph said nought, but waxed shamefaced as he deemed that the priesteyed him curiously. At last he said: "I will ask thee a question inturn, father." "Yea," said the priest. Said Ralph: "This lady of theland, the Lady of Abundance, is she a very woman?" "Holy Saints!"quoth the priest, blessing himself, "what meanest thou?" Said Ralph:"I mean, is she of those who outwardly have a woman's semblance, butwithin are of the race of the ancient devils, the gods of the Gentiles?"
Then the priest crossed himself again, and spake as solemnly as a judgeon the bench: "Son, I pray that if thou art not in thy right mind,thou will come thereinto anon. Know this, that whatever else she maybe, she is a right holy woman. Or hast thou perchance heard any eviltales concerning her?"
Now Ralph was confused at his word, and knew not what to say; forthough in his mind he had been piecing together all that he had heardof the lady both for good and for evil, he had no clear tale to telleven to himself: so he answered nothing.
But the priest went on: "Son, I shall tell thee that such tales I haveheard, but from whose mouth forsooth? I will tell thee; from a sort ofidle jades, young women who would be thought fairer than they be, whoare afraid of everything save a naked man, and who can lie easier thanthey can say their paternoster: from such as these come the stories; orfrom old crones who live in sour ang
er with themselves and all else,because they have lived no goodly life in their youth, and have notlearned the loveliness of holy church. Now, son, shall the tales ofsuch women, old and young, weigh in thy mind beside the word I tellthee of what I have seen and know concerning this most excellent ofladies? I trow not. And for my part I tell thee, that though she isverily as fair as Venus (God save us) yet is she as chaste as Agnes, aswise as Katherine, and as humble and meek as Dorothy. She bestowethher goods plentifully to the church, and is merciful to poor mentherewith; and so far as occasion may serve her she is constant at theHoly Office; neither doth she spare to confess her sins, and to do allpenance which is bidden her, yea and more. For though I cannot say tomy knowledge that she weareth a hair; yet once and again have I seenher wending this woodland toward the chapel of her friend St. Anthonyby night and cloud, so that few might see her, obedient to theScripture which sayeth, 'Let not thy right hand know what thy left handdoeth,' and she barefoot in her smock amidst the rugged wood, and soarrayed fairer than any queen in a golden gown. Yea, as fair as thewoodwives of the ancient heathen."
Therewith the priest stayed his words, and seemed as if he were falleninto a dream; and he sighed heavily. But Ralph walked on by hisbridle-rein dreamy no less; for the words that he had heard he heedednot, save as they made pictures for him of the ways of that woman ofthe forest.
So they went on soberly till the priest lifted up his head and lookedabout like one come out of slumber, and said in a firm voice: "I tellthee, my son, that thou mayest set thy love upon her without sin." Andtherewith suddenly he fell a-weeping; and Ralph was ill at ease of hisweeping, and went along by him saying nought; till the priest pluckedup heart again, and said, turning to Ralph, but not meeting his eye:"My son, I weep because men and women are so evil, and mis-say eachother so sorely, even as they do by this holy woman." As he spake histears brake out again, and Ralph strode on fast, so as to outgo him,thinking it unmannerly to seem as if he noted not his sorrow; yetwithal unable to say aught to him thereof. Moreover it irked him tohear a grown man weeping for grief, even though it were but a priest.
Within a while the priest caught up with him, his tears all staunched,and fell to talk with him cheerfully concerning the wood, and theLittle Land and the dwellers therein and the conditions of them, and hepraised them much, save the women. Ralph answered him with good cheerin likewise; and thus they came to the cot of the old woman, and bothshe and the maiden were without the house, the old carline hitheringand thithering on some errand, the maiden leaning against a tree as ifpondering some matter. As they passed by, the priest blessed them inwords, but his eyes scowled on them, whereat the carline grinned, butthe damsel heeded him not, but looked wistfully on Ralph. The priestmuttered somewhat as he passed, which Ralph caught not the meaning of,and fell moody again; and when he was a little past the ford he drewrein and said: "Now, son, I must to my cell hard by the church yonder:but yet I will say one word to thee ere we sunder; to wit, that to mymind the Holy Lady will love no one but the saints of heaven, save itbe some man with whom all women are in love."
Therewith he turned away suddenly, and rode smartly towards his church;and Ralph deemed that he was weeping once more. As for Ralph, he wentquietly home toward the castle, for the sun was setting now, and as hewent he pondered all these things in his heart.